Keyrus – an international player in the fields of data intelligence, digital and consulting on the management and transformation of enterprises – is assisting Virgin Megastore to extend the customer experience with the setup of a new multichannel platform, based on their well-established physical store network.

With over 40 stores in nine markets Virgin Megastore is one of the leading entertainment lifestyle retailers in the MENA region offering a complete range of lifestyle products across fashion, culture, technology, entertainment, beauty and related services.

Keyrus was selected as the partner to provide business and technical expertise to support Virgin Megastore’s vision for introducing a new omnichannel solution in the UAE and region, implemented through the SAP hybris commerce solution.

While Virgin Megastore’s network and processes were already well in place, the challenge for Keyrus was to bring together the new online store with the existing successful in-store experience.

“As Virgin Megastore evolved over the years to become the destination for technophiles, entertainment seekers and style setters, we wanted to create an e-commerce site that was an extension of the store experience. Keyrus worked hand-in-hand with us on building the first true omnichannel experience in the Middle East without compromising on any of the product and brand experiences that keep our customers loyal and engaged,” says Nisreen Shocair, president, Virgin Megastore Middle East.

With an innovative mobile first navigation experience through a responsive design, the team was able to bring to life a modern user experience in a very short timeframe using the SAP hybris B2C Accelerator.

The complexity of Virgin Megastore’s product catalog for lifestyle and entertainment products required a sophisticated data model, connected to specialised content providers to enrich the data. The SAP hybris PCM (product content management) is now the centre of all product information in Virgin Megastore.

To fully integrate retail operations, Keyrus implemented the SAP hybris OMS module (order management aervices). Taking into account the specific order fulfillment processes for the UAE region, Keyrus was able to leverage existing store order processes to warehouse fulfillment processes for a complete O2O experience. Shoppers can now browse the entire Virgin Megastore catalog in one place and check product availability in real-time. Customers can select both home delivery and pickup in store with a 48-hour delivery guarantee.

As part of a five-year roadmap, the new omnicommerce platform was designed to be futureproof. Built with a mobile first approach, it is fully integrated to retail operations, the Virgin Megastore loyalty programme, external product data providers and ERP for finance.

With proven digital commerce experience, Keyrus and Azur Digital successfully assisted Virgin Megastore in the process of joining physical and digital data and processes into one centralised solution. After only seven months, the new solution was fully integrated and ready for go live.

“Our aim was to extend our leading physical stores experience and rich offering to online shoppers in the region in a modern, fully-integrated and seamless way. Keyrus have been instrumental in helping us bring our ideas to life. They truly understood our needs from a business perspective and were able to implement the project in record time,” adds Tarek Moussawer, head of marketing, Virgin Megastore Middle East.

“We are proud to be able to assist Virgin Megastore with this digital challenge, which allowed us to demonstrate once again our expertise and our ability to integrate new markets,” states Michel Mariën, customer solutions director, Keyrus Digital.